Sexton sidelined again

Jonathan Sexton has now been ruled out of Ireland's trip to Italy despite being named in the starting side earlier today.

The star fly-half suffered a training ground mishap this morning and will now sit out the final Championship fixture at the Stadio Olimpico.

Sexton turned his foot prior to the team announcement but head coach Declan Kidney stated that 'we expect he'll be fine' when he announced his matchday 23 at lunchtime.

The 24-year-old has since had an MRI scan, however, with the results showing a torn tendon in his left foot.

The setback means he definitely won't play any part in Italy but no timescale has yet been set for his return.

Sexton had only just recovered from the hamstring problem that saw his involvement in the defeat to England ended early and prevented him from playing against Scotland and France in recent weeks.

He remains the favourite for the Lions fly-half berth for the summer tour of Hong Kong and Australia but Lions boss Warren Gatland will be eager to find out exactly how much longer Sexton will spend on the sidelines as he prepares for his final squad announcement at the end of next month.

The news is another cruel blow to Irish coach Kidney and co, who saw back-up scrum-half Eoin Reddan break his leg in the final minute of the draw with France last Saturday night.

Sexton's absence means Paddy Jackson moves back into the No10 shirt having worn the starting jersey against the Scots and the French, with Ian Madigan taking Jackson's place on the bench.

It means the only change to the starting line up is Craig Gilroy's inclusion instead of the injured McFadden, although there are two further alterations among the replacements as Devin Toner comes in for Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul Marshall replaces Reddan.

Ryan Grant displayed some impressive singing skills while on tour with the British & Irish Lions. The full release of Lions Raw will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from October 28th. Pre-order on Amazon.

This clip featuring Simon Zebo will whet your appetite ahead of the much anticipated release of 'Lions Raw', the official Behind the Scenes documentary of the successful 2013 Tour. Full release on October 28th and available on DVD and Blu-Ray.